When I bought my Treo 750 a while back I was one of the lucky few that got one with all the toys. I purchased it with a 2GB miniSD card, a Palm Dock, a couple extra cables, an extended battery, headphone adapter and a case. Little did I know when taking delivery of said Treo that the case I was receiving was a holster. At first I didn’t really think much of it and the holster got put to the side while I played with all the other goodies. I’d really never used a case before on any of my devices – sure I had cases and I used common sense to dictate when I would use them, but most of the time a case was a hindrance to getting information the second I wanted it.

The holster case I got with the Treo changed all of that for me and now I’m a diehard believer in the holster. Granted the holster I received wasn’t the JAVOedge holster being reviewed here, but I figured you might like a little history of me and my Treo. All images click to bigger sizes!! Disclaimer – This unit was provided by JAVOedge free of charge for the purpose of review. No stipulations given, just sure we’ll send you one. 

What you get

That’s pretty much it. I could have showed you the USPS packaging, but I figured you know what those look like. This is really all you need… some contact information and the thing you paid the money for – the JAVOedge holster belt clip for your Treo 750/680. Shipping was quick and the folks I dealt with were very responsive. I didn’t have a contact to request a review unit so I sent an email via the contact page. Response time less than 24 hours.

Click on for more…

Build and Quality

What’s the coolest thing about the outside of the Treo 750? For me it’s that non-slippy sort of soft plastic they used on the back. Hands down this is the best feature of a lot of new devices as it keeps you from dropping your precious all over the precious killing concrete. I’m very happy to say the JAVOedge holster feels very similar to the Treo backside – only softer. You’ve really got to feel it to understand – but suffice it to say this is the coolest feeling case/holster I’ve seen. Hard yet squishy. Science rules.

They’ve also included on the inside a soft foam material that sits in the same location as the screen when the device is inserted. Not sure if this is necessary because the screen is recessed into the device a bit so the screen is already protected – but a little extra never hurts.

Overall the holster is solid, no flex in places you don’t want it (like the parts that grip the bottom) and a good amount of flex on the top clip. The belt clip is not going anywhere, and the turn mechanism clicks decisively into each slot in the rotation so you don’t have to worry about the case ending up in all different positions without you putting it in that spot. The belt clip will rotate 90 degrees each direction (180 degrees total movement), but again this isn’t a rotate at will belt clip – you need to turn it to the position you want it in. Loved that. I hate those belt clips that just rotate on a pin with no control over what angle it sits at.

How it works

The JAVOedge definitely will grab hold of your Treo with a death grip. It’s not going anywhere… the problem is getting it into or out of the death grip is a little unnerving. Here’s some pics:

Notice how in the first picture the clip starts to make contact right above the screen. So, when you start to try and load the Treo into the holster the clip is sitting flat against the front of the device, leaving you forced to bend the clip backwards and have the clip rub along the front of the device (right over the carrier logo) and then up over the top. I understand you have to design the clip to hold the phone securely, but the amount of rubbing along the front/top will likely result in some paint loss over extended use. Don’t ask me how long – I’m no scientist. The third picture above shows what I mean by rubbing along the top. The slightly darker area is where the case has been rubbing. My biggest concern here is not the rubbing itself, but because the front and back of the case join right here, the chances for paint loss are much higher than if it was just a flat surface.

Because of the angle you have to insert the device into the holster to avoid these “cups” at the bottom of the case I also noticed some very slight rubbing of the keyboard on the case. This is VERY MINOR compared to the clip section mentioned above. I don’t think this amounts to any more damage to the keys than using your fingers on them.

The other picture is of note because it shows the “cups” as they sit on the back of the device. This design will not allow for an extended battery (like the Seido 2400 mAh) which may or may not be a big issue depending on your usage. I’ve got one of these and honesty it spends a lot of time on the shelf except for the days I know I’m going to be on the go for 24+ hours.

Finally these grips that support the clip itself makes belt choice an important part of this process as well. I use a fairly tall/thick leather belt that just was not compatible with this design. I tried a couple smaller belts and they did work ok. Figure about the height of a quarter (or a little bigger) for the perfect belt size. In defense of the case however, this design rocks for clipping the holster to a front pocket. I did headstands with it clipped on a pocket and the phone didn’t even budge. Took a little getting used to not having the phone on my belt, but once I did I found the pocket a very comfortable spot for the Treo.

Wrap up

Wow. Never thought I would have so much to say about a holster. All in all I liked the JAVOedge but I think there’s some improvements that could/should be made before this would be my daily driver…

Likes:

Death grip on the phone, death grip on my pocket, very solid feel, excellent belt clip swivel and one of the best soft rubber feel designs I’ve seen/felt

Dislikes:

Harder to clip in than it should be, fear of slight paint loss, belt clip limits belt size, and no extended battery support.

The JAVOedge JAVOHolster can be had for $29.95

[tags] JAVOedge, Treo 750 holster, www.justanothermobilemonday.com, Treo 750 case [/tags]

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